Siberian Federal University

Nanostructured silver-based materials have garnered significant attention owing to their broad biomedical applications, particularly in antimicrobial therapy. In this study, we report, for the first time, a rapid and eco-friendly approach for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) using an alcoholic extract of pomegranate (Punica granatum) peels (POG), and evaluate their antibacterial efficacy. The synthesis was carried out by reacting the pomegranate peel extract with a silver nitrate (AgNO₃) precursor in deionized water, yielding a black colloidal product indicative of nanoparticle formation. The biosynthesized Ag NPs were comprehensively characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles, revealing a face- centered cubic structure characteristic of metallic silver. The antibacterial activity of the synthesized Ag NPs was assessed against clinically relevant Gram- positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacterial strains, using standard antibiotics (neomycin) as positive controls. Notably, the biosynthesized Ag NPs exhibited superior antibacterial activity compared to the commercial antibiotics across all tested concentrations. The most pronounced effects were observed against E. coli and P. aeruginosa, with inhibition zone diameters reaching approximately 49 mm and 48 mm, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the pomegranate peel- derived silver nanoparticles possess potent and broad- spectrum antibacterial properties, positioning them as promising candidates for the development of next-generation antibiotic formulations